Supporting Farmers

Increasing sustainability, yields and incomes

Cargill works with farmers at all levels of production to improve the sustainability of corn cultivation, harvest and storage. Listed below are a few examples.

Nebraska, United States

At our corn milling facility in Blair, Nebraska, Cargill hosted a sustainability workshop in 2017, bringing together local corn growers and educators from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The growers provided data from their fields and University extension educators shared insights about field sustainability, including comparisons with other growers in the area based on existing environmental benchmark data from Field to Market’s Fieldprint® Platform. The growers can use this information to improve farm management practices related to fertilizer use, tractor passes, yields and other factors to increase the sustainability of their operations. The Fieldprint® Platform helps growers evaluate their farming decisions, compare their sustainability performance and estimate the financial cost of an operational

Yucatán, Mexico

In Mexico, we are working with the Mexican Foundation for Rural Development to help farmers increase white corn yields in southern Yucatán through the Educampo program. With training and technical support, more than 80 farmers have improved productivity and incomes. In 2016, farmers participating in the program increased yields to 3.94 tons per hectare, compared with 1.6 tons per hectare achieved by farmers who did not receive the training. Farmers in the program also increased their incomes more than 400 percent compared to their peers. The program provides financing to help farmers grow their businesses. Now farmers in the Educampo program are diversifying to grow soy as well as corn.

Grain storage in China

In 2016, Cargill donated funding for granaries in two villages in China’s Jilin province. Better grain storage will help farmers boost their incomes, since grain piled on the ground results in damaged and wasted corn. Learn more